DOJ Deputy Steps In To Block Judge's Probe Of Chicago Case

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward took control of the Broadview Six case on Friday. He told U.S. District Judge April Perry that the United States has not agreed to provide the information she sought. Woodward asked the judge to clarify if her recent records request was intended as a formal directive. He added that the United States believes further proceedings would not be appropriate.

Woodward is the third highest-ranking official in the Justice Department. He previously served as a senior counselor to President Donald Trump. His entry into the Chicago case came immediately after two local federal prosecutors stepped down. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane MacArthur and Nathaniel Whalen withdrew from the matter on Friday.

The intervention coincided with a Friday deadline for the feds to turn over records. Judge Perry is considering naming a special prosecutor to investigate former U.S. Attorney William J. Boutros and other Justice Department officials. The judge is looking for criminal contempt. She cited a lack of candor and the concealment of material facts in her Oct. 1 remarks.

Perry wants to know if Boutros’ team communicated with anyone outside his office about the case. She also wants to know if Boutros knew about apparent staff misconduct before a grand jury in the fall. The judge initially described her inquiry as a request. That wording raised questions about whether it counts as a formal court order.

The Broadview Six case began after a protest outside an immigration holding facility in Broadview in September 2025. Prosecutors alleged a crowd pushed and damaged a federal agent’s SUV. Only six people faced charges for conspiracy to impede the agent. Most were involved in local Democratic politics.

The group included then-congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh and Oak Park village trustee Brian Straw. Also charged were then-Cook County Board candidate Catherine Sharp, 45th Ward Democratic committeeperson Michael Rabbitt, musician Joselyn Walsh, and Abughazaleh campaign worker Andre Martin. The case collapsed on May 21. Judge Perry found that Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Mecklenburg allegedly spoke to grand jurors outside the room. Mecklenburg also allegedly put her personal credibility on the line to support the charges.

Mecklenburg retired from the Justice Department to defend herself. She insisted she followed instructions from Boutros’ front office at every turn. Perry found it most problematic that the apparent misconduct was redacted out of transcripts given to her by Boutros’ office. Those redactions happened after Mecklenburg withdrew from the case.

Perry is now testing two specific claims made by the feds this spring. On March 30, three assistant U.S. attorneys told the court there were no communications regarding investigatory or charging decisions with anyone outside the office. They specifically included the White House and all components of Main Justice. Perry also wants the email in which Boutros received the grand jury transcript last fall. She requested all replies, forwards, and metadata including read receipts and delivery status.